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The letters formed part of about 40 lots from Mr Dickman's former estate on sale at Cambridge auctioneers Cheffins, which sold for £55,000 in total - exceeding the estimate price of £13,000. Bids came in from Australia, Japan and the US.

Mr Dickman’s grandson Matthew Dickman, who lives in the Cambridge area, said: “He was much loved by the royal family. When he was ill, towards the end of his life, Prince Charles came to see him at his home in London.

“We have decided to sell some of the items he had purely because there’s too much of it to keep.”